Hatch cover



N O m L m w E HATCH COVER Original Filed Sept; 5,, 1938 Patented Dec. 31, 1940 UNITED STATES azzassa HATCH oiovnn Ernest Willison, Sewickley, Pa., assignor to Qravo fiorporation, a corporation of Pennsylvan a Continuation of application serial at. 228,387,

September 3, 1938. This application December 8, 1939, Serial No. 308,188 a 6 Claims. (01. 114-202) This invention relates to hatch covers, such'as are provided for hatchways that open through the decks of ships. The objects in view are simplicity of structure, economy of space, and facility in operation. This application is a continuation of application 228,387 filed September-3, 1938.

In the accompanying drawing Fig. I is a view in side elevation, showing fragmentarily a hatchway and, associated with it in folded or inactive position, and in side elevation, the hatch cover of my invention. In this view certain supporting members appear in section. Fig. II is a fragmentary view in plan. Fig. III is a diagrammatic view, illustrating the movement of the component parts of the hatch cover, in passing between inactive to active positions. Fig. IV is a view to larger scale, showing in cross-section a rail that caps the hatchway coaming andin elevation a block that is a feature of the invention in assembly with the rail. Fig. V is a View in section, on the plane indicated at V-V, Fig. IV. x

A hatchway, whose opening through a deck is indicated at E, Fig. I, is provided along opposite parallel sides with rails in the form of inverted channels I that cap the hatch coaming. The hatchway cover is made up of a pluralityof substantially duplicate panelslthat rest at their ends, when, in closed position, upon the. upper surfaces of the opposite channels I. The'fcover panels are provided at their two ends with rollers 3 and these rollers are extensible vertically from the panels, to the end that the'panels when'in position above the hatchway may alternately rest with their edges upon the channels I, to make tight and stationary closure, or that they may be raised, to rest upon their rollers, and tobe readily movable upon the rollers longitudinally of the channels. The'structure in this'regard may be such as that shown in an application filed by their rollers upon the'free right-hand portion,

of the up er surface of the channel I. This free,

right-hand portion will be, understood to be the outer portion of the channel surface, and this portion, together with the complementary lefthand portion of the duplicate, channel that caps the coaming on the opposite side of the hatchway; constitute the runway for the roller-equipped cover panels (of. Fig. II). Upon the deck are mounted pairs of blocks.

The preferredstructure is that illustrated. The

channels l extend to the side of the hatchway (to theleft, Figs. I and II), beyond the limit of the hatchway. opening H, and in such extended portions are equipped with pairs of hinge blocks. The blocks, pair by pair, stand opposed on thetwo channels I. The channels are slotted, as indicated at III (of. Fig. II).

and V) are formed to engage the slots, to -straddle 10 the outer margins of the channels, and to be secured in place by locking wedges. Each block is formed of. two plates 4 and 5 that, standing apart, carry between them a pintle 6; The plate The blocks (Figs. IV o 4 isprovided with a tongue-like extension 4| 1 that in the assembly extends through a slot I0 and projects. downward from channel I; plate 5 in the assembly abuts upon the outer flange of the channel, and extends downward beyond the edge of the flange; and the two plates in their this'channell I, whenapplied, extends in common plane with the edges of the marginal flangesof channel I. The channel II may be continuous or intermittent in its longitudinal extent; it,-underliesthe slots l0, and is'itself correspondingly slotted. The nether face'of channel and the edge of the outer flange upon channel IaiTord, bearings for. the wedge "I. When-the block has been applied, in 'the position shown in Figs; IV and V, the wedge I, engaging along one edge the chamiel surfaces specified and along the opposite edge the bottoms of the slots in the downward extensions of plates 4 and 5, is; driven home to secure the'block in place.'

Each panel 2 of the hatchway cover carries a pair of bearing blocks 8, that correspond in .shape and in position to the pairs of channel-borne blocks already described. Referring. particularly to Fig. II, and comparing it with Figs. IV and -V, it will be seen that the panel} on the right bears at its left end a pairof blocks 8; and that these. blocks are spaced apartat an intervallgreater than the length of the panel that bears them (the length of'the panel being its vertical extent,

as seen in Fig. II). The blocks of the co-operating'deck-borne pair are correspondingly spaced.

The blocks 8 are bifurcated, as shown, so that as the panel travels to the left they will engage, and

as the panel travels to the right they will separate from, the pintles 6. of a pair of channel-borne 5 blocks. When such engagement is made, the interengaged blocks constitute hinges upon which the panel may be swung, from the full-line position, Fig. III, to the dotted-line position.

The blocks 8 of each pair are borne by the panel at its ends, and they project laterally from the panel along one side (to the left, Figs. I, III, and V). In consequence of the spacing specified, the panels may come together in edge-to-edge union, as indicated in Fig. II. The blocks upon the channels I are correspondingly spaced apart;- they stand along the outer margins of channels I.

In operation, when the hatchway is to be opened and the cover carried out-of the way, each cover panel in turn, being separated from the next adjacent panel and being in raised'positionj and resting on its rollers, is rolled from right to left, Fig. I, until its blocks 8 come to engagement with the pintles 6 of a pair of the channel-borne blocks. The panel then is swung on the hinges so formed, from horizontal to vertical position. Fig. I shows five panels, and it may be assumed that they together constitute the complete hatchway cover. At the beginning of the operationof 30 opening of the hatchway it may be understood that one pair of blocks and no more (the pair at the extreme left, Figs. I and II) is in position on channels I. (This pair of blocks, indeed, may be permanently secured to the channels, I.) The 35 first panel in the left to right succession is then rolled from the broken-line position until its blocks'8 engage the pintles 6 of the channel-.

borne blocks. The panel then is swung on its hinges to the full-line position. Apair of blocks is then applied to and secured in position in the next adjacent pair of slots ID to thejright; and, when this has been done, the second panel is rolled to engagement with the pintles ofthis second pair of blocks and swung into vertical, position; and so panel after 'panel isrolled aside and swung out of the way, until the whole coveris so disposed of. Fig. I afiordsindication that the spacing of the slots lll'may slightly exceedv the over-all depth of the panels, and in consequence the succeeding panels of the collapsed assembly are progressively canted to the left, andthe whole rendered secure in collapsed'position.

When the hatchway is to be closed again the steps described are reversed. Thepanels one by one} beginning at the right,are swung to hori- 5 zontal position, and rolled to place over the hatchway. The channel-borne blocks are removed pair by pair to allow free coursefor the nextsucceeding panel. 7

Suitable weather-tight closure will be provided 60 for the panels at the seams, where the panels in closed position meet side by side, and suitable weather-tight closure will be provided for the cover, when in active position, at the. margin of the hatchway opening. I

It is manifest that either member of the cooperating pair's ofblocks may carry. thepintles of the hinge union and the'other the.v bifurcations.

I claim asmy' invention:

1. In a deck structure that includes a hatchway and a hatch cover consisting of. aplurality of. panels equipped with rollers and movable, upon.

75 tion herein described which consists in the'com-.

bination with the structure defined of a plurality of pairs of blocks borne pair by pair upon said panels at the side of the panel whichin the advance of the panel to hatch-uncovering position constitutes the leading edge thereof, and a corresponding plurality of pairs of blocks borne pair by pair upon the deck, the panel-borne blocks and the deck-borne blocks constituting complementary parts of hinge connections that are completed and separated again by the movement of e the panels upon their rollers.

2. In a deck structure that includes a hatchway and a hatch cover consisting of a plurality of panels. equipped with rollers and movable upon their rollers upon the deck between hatch-covering and hatch-uncovering positions, the invention 1 herein described which consists in the combination with, the structure defined of a plurality of pairs of bifurcated blocks borne pair by pair upon said panels and a corresponding plurality of pairs of pintle-equipped blocks borne pair by pair upon the deck, the panel-borne blocks and the deckborne blocks constituting complementary parts of hinge connections that are completed and separated again by the movement of the panels upon their rollers.

3. In a deck structure that includes a hatchway, two rails extending in parallelism along opposite ends of the hatchway and beyond the hatchway to one side thereof, and two cover panels equipped with rollers and movable upon its rollers along the runway afforded by the said rails-between hatch-covering and hatch-uncovering positions, the invention herein described which consistsof the combination, with the structure defined, of two pairs of blocks borne pair b pair by the said panels, and two pairs of blocks borne pair by pair by the deck, the panel-borne blocks and the deck-borne blocks constituting complementary parts of hinge connections that are completed andseparated again by the movement of the panels along the runway, the blocks borne by the panel that is second in the order of advance of the panels from hatch-covering to hatch-uncovering position extending from the side thereof which in the advance of the panel to hatch-uncovering position constitutes its leading edge, and being spaced, apart at an interval greater than the length of the panel, and the complementary pair of deck-borne blocks being correspondingly spaced.

4. In adeckstructure that includes a hatchway, two rails-extending in parallelism along opposite ends of the hatchway and beyond the hatchway to one side thereof, and two cover panels equipped with rollers and movable upon its rollersyalong the runway afforded by the said rails betweenhatch-covering and hatch-uncovering positions, the invention herein described which consists of the combination, with the structure defined, of 'two pairs of blocks; borne pair bypair by the said panels, and two pairs of blocks borne pair by pair by the deck, the panel-borne blocks and the deck-borne blocks constituting complementary parts of "hinge connections that are completed and separated again by the movement of the panels along the runway, the panelborne blocks extendingfrom one sideof each panel and the blo ck's of each pair. being spaced apart at. an interval greater than the length ,of thepanel, the, 'pairs' of deck-borne blocks being. correspondingly spaced and the pa r o dec borne blocks, that is nearer to the hatchway being removable and replaceable in their mounting upon the deck.

5. In a deck structure that includes a hatchway, two rails extending in parallelism along opposite ends of the hatchway and beyond the hatchway to one side thereof, and two cover panels equipped with rollers and movable upon its rollers along the runway afforded by the said rails between hatch-covering and hatch-uncovering positions, the invention herein described which consists of the combination, with the structure defined, of two pairs of blocks borne pair by pair by the said panels and two pairs of blocks borne pair by pair by the said rails at the outer margins thereof and beyond the runway for the roller-equipped panels, the panel-borne blocks and the rail-borne blocks constituting complementary parts of hinge connections that are completed and separated again by the movement of the panels along the runway, the blocks of the second panel in the order of advance to hatchuncovering position extending from the side thereof and being spaced apart at an interval greater than the length of the panel, and the pair of rail-borne blocks nearer the hatchway being removably borne by the rails.

6. In a deck structure that includes a hatch 5 way and a hatch cover consisting of a plurality of panels equipped with rollers and movable upon their rollers upon the deck between hatch-covering and hatch-uncovering positions, the invention herein described which consists in a plurality of 10 pairs of blocks borne pair by pair upon the deck, and in a succession of pairs, to one side of the hatchway, the number of the pairs of blocks in such succession corresponding to the number of panels of the hatch cover, each panel being 15 equipped at one end with a pair of blocks, the panel-borne blocks being adapted in the moving of the panels to come to engagement with and to form pivotal engagement with the deck-borne blocks. 20

ERNEST 'WILLISON. 

